The new CW dramedy “Hart of Dixie” uses a formula that has succeeded previously on screens both big (“Doc Hollywood”) and small (“Northern Exposure”): A big city doctor who's fish-out-of-water in a quaint small town.

In the new show, Rachel Bilson plays Zoe Hart, a young doctor whose dreams of being a cardiothoracic surgeon are derailed by her emotionless approach to medicine, forcing her to head south to Bluebell, Alabama for a year as a general practitioner.

(Before we go any further, know that we’re going to mention one big spoiler. So if you haven’t watched yet and plan to, stop reading now.)

By all accounts, I should not like “Hart of Dixie.” I’ve never watched a CW series before. I’m squarely outside of the network’s target audience. I’m from the South and am prone to knee-jerk defensiveness when it comes to Hollywood’s take on what a Southern town is like.

And yet, the pilot episode for this show kind of won me over, almost exclusively because of the strong cast.

Bilson’s Zoe comes with a fair amount of edge and attitude, which doesn't help as she attempts to integrate into her new environment. But she fleshes out into a real character through moments of strength and humor, as well as when she plays off other cast members.

Jamie King plays Tucker’s fiancé and Southern belle Lemon, whose father Brick (Tim Matheson) is the other doctor in town. Cress Williams and Nancy Travis round out the cast in the pilot, playing Bluebell’s mayor and Zoe’s nurse/confidante, respectively.

The plot plays out pretty predictably. After Zoe loses out on a fellowship in NYC, she heads to Bluebell, home of a Dr. Harley Wilkes, who’s been sending her postcards trying to entice her to join his practice ever since her medical school graduation four years earlier.

It turns out Harley has died and mysteriously left his half of the practice to Zoe. She proceeds to run afoul of nearly everyone in town. Having decided to head back home, she’s called into action by a young pregnant patient named Mabel, who is determined to have Zoe perform the delivery.

This is the scene that turned the tide for me. Zoe’s determination in handling the spontaneous birth, buoyed by Mabel’s staunch loyalty to the young doctor, allowed me to believe Bilson as a top-notch medical professional. Plus, it gave the first glimpses of Dr. Hart developing a human connection with her patients.

The final straw in Zoe’s decision to stay comes courtesy of our big spoiler: Harley was Zoe’s real dad, the result of an affair when her mother was engaged. It’s played like a big deal, but honestly, this plot point could have been skipped entirely and it wouldn’t have made a difference.

I may or may not check out more episodes of “Hart of Dixie.” But if I do, it will most certainly be because of the cast. Their collective charm shines through all of their performances, whether they’re being abrasive (Zoe), unfailingly polite (George), politely hateful (Lemon) or downright ornery (Brick).

Do you think “Hart of Dixie” is a worthy entry in the fish-out-of-water genre? Were you won over by the cast of familiar faces? Or did the premiere leave you wishing you’d never heard of Bluebell, Alabama? Sound off in the comments below!

soundoff(7 Responses)

@mark let's not get technical no tv show goes by medical protocol especially greys Anatomy and people love it. It's a cw show and it's cute and has great potential, not to mention there are real life doctors practicing worse

Zoe Hart is a Medical Doctor–make her act like one! On the first episode, Zoe signed off on an eye exam for an elderly man without watching him actually take the eye exam in question whereupon he promptly went out and nearly killed a man in a vehicle accident. Really!!! The final straw was giving the injured man from the vehicle accident a morphine shot through his flannel shirt without swabbing the skin first with alcohol or, Holy Lawsuit, asking the man if he happened to be allergic to morphine based drugs–would never, ever have happened. Would have been dead in 30 seconds if he did have the allergic response. The show will not be watched by 3rd graders–raise the technical level of the script writing.

I loved it. I watched it because of Rachel and I'm sure others from the OC have followed her. She is a great actress and they have set her up with a pretty gread cast too. I'm excited to see the show play out. As a fan of other CW shows that didn't make it (Privledges, Life Unexpected) I REALLY want this one to be a hit!